Approach Clinic: Not a Real Alternate?

Several months back reader Jim Gibertoni in Alaska forwarded me a letter he wrote to the FAA administrator, Randy Babbit. Heres a line from that letter: My question is simple: How does one FAA Part 91 pilot in Fairbanks, Alaska, get the attention of the FAA before the next crash happens in Fairbanks?

jwanwest

Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Fairbanks, Alaska, frequently faces a critical lack of viable IFR alternate airports, especially when its primary alternate (Nenana) is affected by weather or TFRs, forcing diversions to distant, less equipped airfields.
A pilot's proposal to use the nearby Allen Army Airfield (AAF) as a reliable alternate was rejected by the FAA due to its military nature and strict prior permission requirements, despite published approaches and potential for different weather.
The situation highlights a practical dilemma where pilots might need to declare an emergency to land at a suitable but restricted airfield, emphasizing that selecting a true alternate is crucial and goes beyond regulatory checkboxes.

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Several months back reader Jim Gibertoni in Alaska forwarded me a letter he wrote to the FAA administrator, Randy Babbit. Here’s a line from that letter: “My question is simple: How does one FAA Part 91 pilot in Fairbanks, Alaska, get the attention of the FAA before the next crash happens in Fairbanks?”

According to Gibertoni, Fairbanks has one viable alternate for many aircraft. That’s Nenana airport, about 30 miles southwest. Everything else is simply out of range without carrying so much extra fuel as to be impractical or impossible. On the summer day in question, a TFR for fire fighting popped up and cut off Nenana, effectively leaving Fairbanks with no viable alternate for IFR traffic.